Liverpool looked to be labouring toward their fifth Premier League draw of 2026 before Alexis Mac Allister struck from close range during the final moments of their trip to Nottingham Forest.
The away end was jubilant, but there had been more than a few moans of frustration throughout the preceding 96 minutes of play at the City Ground, with the Reds once again failing to produce a top performance and sustain it.
This doesn't bode well for the business months of the campaign. Liverpool are set for a dogfight for Champions League qualification, balancing that task with a multi-front pursuit of silverware in the Champions League and FA Cup.
Slot needs to start utilising his wider squad, and if Sunday's win over Nottingham Forest told us anything, it's that Rio Ngumoha needs to play a prominent role.
Rio Ngumoha stakes his claim
"I really believe I can win the Ballon d'Or one day," Ngumoha said, a cheeky grin on his face as he made that claim to Liverpool's media team in 2025.
Liverpool star Rio Ngumoha
Liverpool star Rio Ngumoha
Big words for an inexperienced kid, but Ngumoha is already proving that he can talk the talk and walk the walk, scoring the winner in a highly-charged clash at St. James' Park last August on his Premier League debut.
Opportunities haven't been plentiful since, but the 17-year-old came off the bench and stood out on Sunday at the City Ground, only playing 13 minutes of football (plus stoppage time) but completing two dribbles and creating a big chance. Combined, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo failed to eclipse either of those statistics.
Gakpo has been poor this season, and analyst Raj Chohan has even said that he's a "Europa League-level player, nothing more, nothing less". Harsh words, but the Dutchman, 26, has done little to prove otherwise, failing to step up and lead the line after Luis Diaz's sale to Bayern Munich last year.
Against the Tricky Trees, he was outdone by his younger positional peer, whose directness and electric movement on the ball drew plenty of plaudits.
NFFC 0-1 LFC: Gakpo vs Ngumoha
Stats
Minutes played
Goals
Assists
Touches
Shots (on target)
Accurate passes
Chances created
Crosses
Dribbles
Ball recoveries
Tackles
Duels won
He's not the only one who's bogging down Slot's system, though, with Curtis Jones also abject at the weekend. Might Liverpool have another youngster who can take this next step up onto the major stage?
Ngumoha 2.0 can end Jones' Liverpool career
Ngumoha will surely start to play more football now. But he's not the only youngster who could change things, with Trey Nyoni boasting the potential to stand in for someone like Jones, who lost nine of 13 duels on Sunday, also failing to win either of his attempted tackles.
Liverpool midfielder Trey Nyoni
Described as a "special talent" by journalist Bence Bocsak, Nyoni is already a rangy midfield profile with a grasp of the technical side of the game that is beyond some established Premier League midfielders.
The 18-year-old joined Liverpool from Leicester City's youth system in 2024, and having shone for the development side, he has featured 13 times for the seniors, registering an assist in the FA Cup last term.
With an effortless ability to control and influence from the heart of the field, the teenager, who is eligible to play internationally for England or Zimbabwe, still has some gains to make in regard to his physical development, but even at this nascent stage, he has drawn comparisons to Manchester United star Paul Pogba.
However you view Pogba, once the most expensive Premier League signing of all time, there's no question that the French World Cup winner boasts one of the deepest natural pools of talent of any generation.
Paul Pogba Manchester United record (timeless)
And for analyst Ben Mattinson to suggest there's "so much resemblance" between Pogba and Nyoni, due to the latter's skilful and powerful quality from midfield, there's plenty of reason for FSG and Slot to put as much effort as possible into bringing him to the fore.
He just needs a chance. Nyoni completed 92% of his passes across two games in the Carabao Cup this term (against Southampton and then Crystal Palace), winning four duels and demonstrating a sharp athletic ability that will only develop over the next several years.
Jones, 25, is one of Liverpool's own, but performances such as the one in Nottingham underlined his flaws, and given that he's in the penultimate year of his contract and came close to leaving Liverpool in January, with Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur interested, now is the time for Slot to usher in the new wave and put Liverpool back on their perch.
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